Cucumber Juicing Recipes

Cucumbers are very cool vegetables.  They are almost all water, but they have wonderful restorative powers.  It is a simple tasting vegetable that be added to virtually any vegetable juicing recipe.  It is can be used to dilute juicing recipes that would be to strong otherwise, all the while adding more nutrients.  I like to think of cucumber juice as “super water.”

Cucumbers are made of mostly water.  Because of this, cucumbers are a great thirst quencher and one of the best natural diuretics.  They are very useful for cell hydration, regulating body temperature, and waste removal, just like plain water.  Cucumber juicing recipes are great on hot days or after workouts.

The skin of cucumbers is rich in silica, which is a vital mineral in maintaining healthy connective tissue.  This list includes the tendons, muscles, cartilage and ligaments.  Cucumbers have earned the biggest reputation to aiding the skin and its complexion.  They can help treat skin conditions such as eczema and acne, which is why cucumbers are used a lot in skin beautify products.

BUY ORGANIC! You will definitely want to juice the skins of the cucumbers for the silica.  But you will find that most cucumbers will have some waxy stuff on it to make it look shiny.  It is hard to wash off and you probably won’t get it all, and you do not want that stuff in your vegetable juicing recipes.  Look for firm cucumbers with a dark green color – it’s ok if they have bumps.

Some vegetable juicing recipes to help you keep “as cool as a cucumber”:

Green Juice

  • 2 celery stalks
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1 small green pepper
  • handful of spinach

Cucumber Melon Juice

  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1/2 honeydew

Carrot Cooler

  • 3 carrots
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 cucumber

Simple Cucumber Juice

  • 3 cucumbers
  • small handful of grapes
  • water (dilute to taste)

July 30, 2009  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: Cucumbers, Juicing Recipes  No Comments

Vegetable Juicing Recipes for Headaches

The reason I started vegetable juicing was because I felt my old diet was really bring me down.  For example, headaches were a big problem for me.  My old diet lacked vegetables in favor of easier to prepare foods – except dinner where I would usually eat frozen veggies.  I thought if I focused more on healthy eating habits I could reduce the amount of headaches.

My headaches were, for the most part, just headaches, with an occasional migraine thrown in.  It is suggested to eat more complex carbohydrates and eat less protein.  Carbohydrates weren’t a problem, but eating less protein was, since its a big part of the American diet.  Raw vegetable and/or vegetable juice are the best for headaches because they pack so many nutrients with very little protein and sugar.

Headaches can be caused by so many things.  Most of them we can change if we want to, such as too much coffee or lack of good sleep.  Others we have no control over, such as stress and allergies.  The best thing to do is not only fix the problems you can, but find other ways to help reduce headaches in the first place.  Vegetable juicing is a great way to reduce headaches because it is so easy.

The best nutrients to aid headaches are magnesium, calcium, and riboflavin.  Vegetables that are great at fighting headaches and migraines are broccoli, spinach, celery, carrots and ginger.  This assortment makes some delicious vegetable juicing recipes.

Dehydration can certainly bring you down.  However, alcohol, wine, milk products (especially cheese), caffeine, and sugary drinks all can cause migraines and headaches.  The best way is to avoid all those types of drinks and drink water and to make your own vegetable juicing recipes.

Anti-Headache Juicing Recipe

  • 3 carrots
  • 2 celery stalks
  • handful of spinach
  • 1/2 inch ginger root
  • broccoli stalk (optional)

July 27, 2009  Tags: , , , , , ,   Posted in: Ailments, Headaches, Vegetable Juicing Basics  No Comments

Beet Juicing Recipes

I love beets in my vegetable juicing recipes.  Beets are really amazing vegetables.  They have a sweet taste – in fact, they contain the most sugar out of all vegetables.  They are very potent vegetables that must be taken lightly.  For these reasons, beets are quite popular as ingredients in vegetable juicing recipes.

Beets are great for overall health.  Studies have linked beets to lowering bad cholesterol levels and triglycerides, while increasing good cholesterol levels.   This is why beets have a reputation for “cleaning the blood”.  They also do a great job fighting inflammation that is linked to conditions such as heart disease, osteoporosis, spinal stenosis and Alzheimer’s.  Other nutrients found in beets include folic acid, manganese, vitamin B, iron, and potassium.

As I said before, they must be taken lightly.  Beet juice is too strong to drink by itself.  Apparently, it can even temporarily paralyze your vocal chords.  Fortunately, I’ve never been afflicted with this, nor do I ever hope to.  It can also turn your urine a little red, though this is normal, so don’t be afraid if this happens.

To play it safe, dilute the beet juice with other produce when using in your vegetable juicing recipes.  Always use beet juice in moderation.  Buy small beets so it’s easier to manage smaller amounts.  You can juice the green leaves too, but it is quite potent itself, so you may want to only add a little bit.

Here are some vegetable juicing recipes that use beet juice:

Carrots, Beet & Spinach Juice

  • 4 carrots
  • 1 small beet
  • handful of spinach

Soothing Beet Juice

  • 1 small beet
  • 1 cucumber
  • 3 celery stalks

Beet Zinger Juicing Recipe

The first time you try this juicing recipe, I suggest NOT using the garlic clove.  If you like the base of the recipe, add the garlic the second time.

  • 4 carrots
  • 1 small beet
  • 1/2 inch fresh ginger
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 clove of garlic

July 25, 2009  Tags: , , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: Beets  One Comment